Kansas City Royals 2026 MLB Draft Day 2 Thread

[Kevin O'Brien]

 

 It is Day 2 of the MLB Draft! The Royals turned some heads by selecting Zion Rose with the No. 6 overall pick. Many projected Rose as a late first-round pick, so the decision was seen as a cost-saving move. Nonetheless, the Royals acquired an outfielder who should have an immediate impact on their farm system.

Here's a list of the five players the Royals selected on Day 1:

• Zion Rose, OF, Louisville (No. 6 overall)
• Taylor Rabe, RHP, Mississippi (No. 30 overall)
• Jack Slightom, RHP, Lyons Township High School (IL) (No. 56 overall)
• Maxx Yehl, LHP, West Virginia (No. 91 overall)
• Dominic Battista, OF, Oswego East High School (IL) (No. 119 overall)

You can find our recap and grade of the Royals' Day 1 of the Draft below.

The draft continues today as an all-day affair. Here's the time of the draft and where you can watch it.

• 11:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. ET (MLB.com, MLB.TV, MLB+)

We will update picks on the website and in this thread. Follow Royals Keep for all your MLB Draft Day 2 coverage! 

 

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[Kevin O'Brien]

Royals get things started in the 5th round by drafting Ethan McElvain from Arkansas. Was ranked 144th by Pipeline. Power lefty who was closer for Razorbacks after transferring from Vandy. 1.88 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 4.23 K/BB. Power fastball and a great cutter. Could be a guy who could move quickly and impact the bullpen at some point in 2027 or 2028 at the latest.